On Our Way
by wolflover777
Summary: Max is in a band, and Fang soon joins. His dad offers them a recording deal they can't refuse. Follow them on their way to becoming famous! A lot better than it sounds. Can Fang help Max with family issues? Fax and Niggy or Eggy, haven't decided which.
1. The Perfect Band

**AN: Alright, guys. This is a new idea that I'm thinking of, so I really need you guys to tell me what you think. Is it good, bad, needs improvement. I've got to know, so I really need you guys to review! I've had this story stuck in my head for awhile.**

(Fang's POV)

"I'm so bored." I moaned as my mom started setting the table.

Mom rolled her eyes. "Then help me set the table." She had the same black hair and dark brown eyes that I did. I also had her olive skin tone, but I was taller. She was nice, and a great mom, but she was also sarcastic too. She was the perfect mom for me.

I looked up at her from where I was on the couch. My head was resting on the arm of the couch, so everything looked upside down. I sighed and moaned again. "I'm so lazy."

Mom rolled her eyes. "Come on, Fang. You know your father might come home irritated again. Try to get up and make yourself useful so you're not in his way. You know how he gets when he's cranky. After all, you're the same exact way." she reminded me. My dad was a manager for this big recording company. He had been listening to a lot of people demos recently, and not a single one of them were any good. He was looking for a band that could do it all. He said that that was the next big thing. A band who could sing rock, pop, country, soul, and whatever else he wanted them to. Some punk and alternative. But, so far, all of them have sucked royally.

"Yeah, Fang, get up and help, will ya?" My brother Iggy asked. He was cooking the food. I felt that it was sad that my fraternal twin was a better cook than our mom. **(AN: Iggy is not blind in this story. And I'm thinking about putting some Niggy in here. Not sure yet though. Or it might me so Eggy, or illa or whatever they call it nowadays.)**

"Alright, alright. I'm coming." I replied. I helped my mom set the table. I was not getting anywhere near Iggy's cooking. He was very…overprotective of his food. He plans to be a big chef one day, and open his own restaurant. He definitely has the talent for it.

My dad burst through the door. At first I thought he was made again, but he was grinning from ear to ear. "I found them!" he shouted excitedly. "I finally found them. The perfect band!" He had strawberry blonde hair and blue eyes, just like Iggy. He was also pale like Iggy, and a pervert like Iggy, and a great cook, again, like Iggy. Do you see the pattern here?

"So you found a demo you liked?" Mom asked.

Dad shook his head. "No, I actually heard about them from Fang here."

"Me?" I asked.

"Yes! The Flock, remember? You said that your friend, Max, was the lead singer. You said that she was unique because she was biding her time to find her band's big break instead of fighting everyone else for the perfect job. Well, I went to that club they went to, and they sounded amazing! They played songs of all different genres! They're exactly what I'm look for!" Dad said excitedly.

I grinned. "You're choosing _Max's_ band?" I asked. This was great! I wonder when he'd make the offer.

Dad nodded. "They're perfect. They'll blow Kevin out of the water." he replied. Kevin Venom was the owner and CEO of Venom recording company, one of the biggest recording companies, known for some of the biggest stars. He was a hard guy to please, but, if you won his affections, it was well worth the reward. The last band that Dad managed had "blown Kevin out of the water" too, but they were already old when my dad had found them. And everyone wanted a band that sounded great and was eye candy to look at. They also wanted songs that related to them, and none of that band's songs related to the young generation.

I nodded. "Max's band was a good choice, Dad. And Max herself writes all of their songs. It'll be perfect. Trust me, her songs are really top notch."

"But how do they have the money for all of that equipment. They sounded like a band that already had a recording contract." Dad said.

I shrugged. "Max's parents are loaded. They don't really like her though, or her band. I think she actually gets the money for her band from her real dad. He's loaded too. Max's mom and step-dad hardly ever pay attention to her, and when they do, it's only to criticize or yell at her. Her dad and her step-mom love her though, but her mom won custody of her and her dad got remarried. All of her siblings are half-sisters and brothers."

Mom looked sad, and Dad got this angry look in his eyes. "How can they be like that? Their daughter has an amazing talent and their wasting it."

"Actually, they know about her singing abilities. But they want her to sing some opera or classical crap. They think that that will be a greater use of her talents, or some crap like that." I said. "And to make it even worse, her step-sister, Lissa, is a slut who doesn't wear _nearly_ enough clothes and has probably slept with ninety percent of the guys in this town and her step-brother, Sam, has slept with about every girl in school. And they are still treated better than Max is."

Dad shook his head. "Well, we're going to change that. I'm going to ask her for the deal tomorrow."

I grinned. "I'm coming with you. I _have_ to see their faces when you ask them." I told him, determined.

…_the next day…_

We were driving to Max's dad's house. That's where the band always hung out. As soon as we parked in the driveway, the door burst open and Damon, her lead guy singer and ex-boyfriend, stomped out of the house. Max was right behind him. "Where do you think you're going? I'm not done yet!" Max yelled at him. I saw my dad flinch, and I didn't blame him. Max could be downright terrifying.

She had dirty blonde hair and chocolate eyes, as well as an athletic, but curvy, body (Not that she ever showed off that body. She was, as she put it "Not a slut like that boneheaded, preppy girlfriend of yours). She was wearing ripped black jeans and a red tank top with a black vine design. She was also wearing a black button-up shirt over that, with the cuffs ending flipped up just below her elbows. The tips of her bangs were dyed red, and she had red streaks in her hair. She was about 5' 8'', and had the scariest death glare of anyone else I'd ever seen. She was also strong, even stronger than me, and that's saying something.

She had a confident air about her. She was stubborn and the lead singer and guitar player of the band. She was also the leader, and did all the organizing for shows and stuff. She had an almost mother-like way about her when it came to her younger siblings. She would protect her friends and family with her life, but no one was stupid enough to provoke her. Not since she'd put a kid in a mini-coma last year for beating up Gazzy, her little brother.

"Anywhere but here!" Damon shouted back. "You can find yourself a new singer, and a new boyfriend! I'm sick of you, you son of a b****!"

"Well, I'm sick of you! Why don't you go sleep around with another girl while you're at it? Maybe your conscience will actually survive it since you don't have a girlfriend to cheat on!"

"Whatever! I'm out of here!"

"Good! Now get off my property before I call the cops!" Max's dad, John, yelled from the doorway. Damon stomped off. I walked up to Max, my dad not far behind me. He looked exactly like Max. She got her dirty blonde hair, brown chocolate eyes, and stubborn, leader-like attitude from him. In fact, she got everything from him. She was nothing like her mom.

"Hey, you okay?" I asked.

She looked at me in surprise. "Oh. Hey Fang. Yeah, I'll be fine. He was starting to get on my nerves anyways. I've been trying to break up with him for at least a week and every time I tried, something would get in the way. Stupid sexist pig." She muttered the last part. "By the way, you might want to break up with J.J. I don't know how to tell you this nicely, so I'm just going to go with my usual blunt style. She was the one Damon was sleeping with." She gave me a sympathetic look.

"She is _so_ dead." I replied. "But I'll deal with that later. Does this mean the band's breaking up?" I asked her nervously.

"What? No way! We just got to find a new guy singer." Blade said from the doorway. His actual name was Bobby, but he said that you had to have a cool name if you were going to be in a cool band. He was the base guitar player. He had short, black spiked hair, with the tips dyed red. He was pretty high on the "hot scale" as many of the more preppy girls like to call it. He was about 6' 5'', so he was a pretty tall dude, and he was built too. And he was like a big brother to Max. He also wore black jeans and jacket, with a red shirt.

"Yeah, we'd never break up the band." Abby said. She was the drummer. She was a redhead, with blue eyes. She was shorter than Max, about 5' 5''. She had a tough girl personality as well, and she also had an athletic body. She was pretty hot, but not really my type.

"Actually, we'd been planning on kicking him out for awhile. After all, we didn't even get a record deal yet and he was already drunk on fame." Mikey said. He was tall and built, just a little shorter than Blade. He had dark skin and was wearing a red tank top and black pants. He was the rapper/mix board person, and he also helped Max with organizing the band and making sure they had everything. He might look intimidating, but he was actually, as Nudge put it (and I'm not even kidding you) "a big fluffy teddy bear in a bodybuilder's body". Yeah. But he wasn't afraid to beat the crap outta anyone who messed with his friends. **(AN: Haha. Fluffy teddy bear. What can I say, I thought it was a funny idea.)**

"Yeah, the dude was annoying and arrogant." Jake added. He wasn't as tall as Mikey or Blade, but more around my height of 6' 1'', and he had blonde hair and dark eyes. He had a huge chunk of his hair dyed black. He was wearing black pants and shirt with a red jacket. He was the keyboarder in the band. He always had this bored expression on his face, and he didn't like many people. Basically just his band, me, and Max's siblings. He wasn't as built as Blade or Mikey was either, but he could still hold his own in a fight.

"Yeah. I mean, I like _everybody_ and the dude was getting on my nerves." Zack added. He was the sound person of the band. He was Jake's fraternal twin. He was the exact opposite of Jake. He had black hair with a red chunk dyed in, and blue eyes. He was built and fun-loving. He liked pretty much everybody he met, and always looked and acted excited about _everything_. And he never shut up. The dude was like a guy version of Nudge.

"Actually…" Max trailed off, looking at me and smirking.

"What did you do?" I asked, being careful to keep my expression blank.

She gave me an innocent look. "_Moi?_" she said. "I haven't done anything. But…" she trailed off again, dragging it out.

Mikey rolled his eyes. "We want you to take Sam's place." he said bluntly.

"Aw." Max fake pouted. "I wanted to see him squirm." she complained.

"That's what she said!" Zack yelled. The others looked at him, surprised, before they started laughing. Max playfully punched his arm.

"So, what'd you say?" she asked, smirking.

"I can't! You guys are way too good. Besides, adding another member to the band can break your…chemistry, I guess?" I replied.

"Too bad. You're joining." Max said, clapping me on the back. "Congrats."

"And what makes you think I'll join willingly?" I asked.

"Because if you don't, we'll just make you join unwillingly. Besides, I know you want to join, and you are good enough to be doing it. Trust me, we've been thinking long and hard about this." she said, suddenly more serious by the end. "We wouldn't make such an important decision on a whim."

"How long?" I asked suspiciously.

"Since we heard you and Max do that duet at the Christmas party." Abby replied. "Your voices went so well together, like they were perfect for each other. You two sounded much better together than Max and Sam. Max was reluctant at first, but she immediately agreed to that."

"Whoa." I said. I looked at Max and raised an eyebrow. She knew me well enough to know what I was asking. After all, we've been friends since we were in diapers. My mom and Max's mom used to be great friends. Before her mom turned all stuck up and annoying.

She shrugged. "I was wondering the same thing you were. If bringing a new member into the band would ruin our sound. But, I don't think it will. Plus, you can actually help me with the guitar parts." she said. "So, you in?"

I gave her one of my famous half-smiles. "Sure." I replied. "But my dad had something important to tell you."

"Does it have to do with important band stuff?" Max asked. When my dad nodded, she said. "Let's go inside. The neighbors are starting to stare." She then glared at said neighbors.

She led us inside and up to the soundproof room that the band practiced in. She walked over to the black and red couch and sat down, the rest of the band either sitting beside her or near her on red and black beanie bags. I stood beside my dad, even there were two black and red recliners. Yeah, the bands theme colors are black and red, just in case you haven't noticed. Whenever they meet for band stuff, they always wear black and red. To "get in the band spirit" as Abby and Zack had put it. Max and I had just rolled our eyes on that one.

"So, what's up?" Max asked Dad, her legs and arms crossed, her face serious. It looked so…wrong to see Max so business like. She was usually messing around and having fun.

"I'm a manager of the Venom Recording Company. And I want to offer you a record deal. It might take a lot of time and work, but I can make you big stars." he said bluntly. My dad was never a man for beating around the bush, something I inherited from him.

Max gave my dad a shocked look, while the others started cheering. She held up a hand and they quieted down. "What's the catch?" she asked suspiciously. "And how did you figure out about us? We never sent a demo to Venom."

"Fang here told my family all about you guys. Whenever he talks, it's about your band. And the only catch is that you guys have to make songs of all different genres." my dad said, smirking. It was an offer that they couldn't refuse.

Max hesitated, thinking it over. She talked it over with the band, asking for their opinions, but giving none of her own. When she asked me, I just replied with, "You should do it."

Finally, she gave us a small smile and said, "Alright, it's a deal." The rest of the band cheered and even I grinned. This was going to be awesome! "But!" Max said, cutting us off. "I swear to God, if anyone even comes _near_ me with a skirt, dress, high heels, or make-up, they will die a slow and painful death."

"How about the band gets to choose what they wear?" my dad asked.

Max nodded. "I can agree to that." she said, smirking.

"Oh, and all of your families get to go with you on tour." Dad added. Max frowned at this while the others cheered. I could tell what she was thinking. That her mom, step-dad, and step-siblings wouldn't come anyways. I could also tell that she didn't want them to if they _did_ decide to come. She shook her head though and smiled, talking excitedly with the others. Covering up her problems and how unhappy her mom and step-family made her. Just like always.

**AN: Alright guys, sorry if they are a little out of character. Just review and tell me what you think is wrong so I can fix it. And tell me if I should go along with this story! Also, if anyone knows what kind of steps a band takes to get famous, I'd really like to know. And this story isn't only going to be centered around the band getting famous. They'll also be messing around, and there might even be a prank war in the future…anyways, review and tell me what you think! Also, review on whether you want Niggy or Eggy. And, if you don't like the title, give me suggestions for a new one, because I think I need something better.**


	2. Fang's First Performance

**AN: *says in creepy voice* I'm baaaaccckkkk! *Ahem* But in all seriousness, here's the next chapter. Hope you enjoy! R&R! **

**And, sadly, I don't own MR. If I did, the ending of FANG would never have happened. I'm still ticked off about that. **

(Fang's POV)

Dad told Max that they, well, I guess _we_, should continue playing at the club, to keep up our local fan base. Max agreed, but I'm pretty sure it was for different reasons. She loved our fans, and loved playing at the club, along with the others. I'd never played there, but I loved watching The Flock rock out on stage.

"Hey guys! What's up?" Max yelled into the microphone. A whole bunch of people cheered, probably ninety percent of the people there. "I've got two important things to tell you guys. First, as those of you who know us may have noticed, we kicked Damon out of the band. He was starting to get annoying, and he cared more about the fame than the band."

"Plus, he was a cheating loser." I added.

Max rolled her eyes, but smirked at me and nodded. "So, we replaced him with Fang here. Trust me, you guys will love him. Our next big news is that we got offered a record deal by the Venom Recording Company!" Max shouted excitedly. The crowd went nuts. "Thanks. We wanted our local fan base to be the first ones to know. Thanks for coming out, and I hope you enjoy the show! We'll be starting out with 'Animal I Have Become'."

Max nodded to Blade, who started playing. Then Max joined in, then me, then the others. Then Max started singing.

_I can't escape this hell._

_So many times I've tried._

_But I'm still caged inside._

Then she got a little louder, our playing a little more aggressive.

_Somebody get me through this nightmare._

_I can't control myself._

_So what if you can see_

_The darkest side of me?_

_No one will ever change _

_This animal I have become._

_Help me believe_

_It's not the real me._

_Somebody help me tame _

_This animal. _

_(This animal. This animal.) _Everyone except for Max sang that part. The she started again, going back to the normal tone.

_I can't escape myself. _

_(I can't escape myself.) _Blade did the repeats.

_So many times I've lied. _

_(So many times I've lied.)_

_But there's still rage inside._

She got louder and more angry again. She had an expression of anger and pain on her face. I remember when she wrote this song. It was a few weeks after her mom married her step-dad. She'd felt so trapped and angry that she vented it out with this song.

_Somebody get me through this nightmare._

_I can't control myself._

_So what if you can see_

_The darkest side of me?_

_No one will ever change_

_This animal I have become._

_Help me believe_

_It's not the real me._

_Somebody help me tame_

_This animal I have become._

_Help me believe_

_It's not the real me._

_Somebody help me tame_

_This animal._

_Somebody help me through this nightmare._

_I can't control myself._

_Somebody wake me from this nightmare._

_I can't escape this hell._

Max held out her not, and everyone but Abby stopped playing. The band repeated "This animal." seven times, in the middle of which, Max started playing again. Then everything stopped except for her playing and singing.

_So what if you can see_

_The darkest side of me?_

_No one will ever change_

_This animal I have become._

Everyone else joined in.

_Help me believe_

_It's not the real me._

_Somebody help me tame _

_This animal I have become._

_Help me believe_

_It's not the real me._

_Somebody help me tame_

_This animal._

_(This animal I have become.)_

Max ended it with this sort of solo thing. The others kept playing, but you could hear her instrument above theirs. The crowd burst into cheers and I grinned. "Alright, now, here's Fang with a little song that I helped write for his girlfriend called 'Diary'." Max said, then I took her place at the lead mike. I spotted J.J. in the crowd and smirked. She had no idea what was coming up. She was looking at me with this sparkle in her eye.

_I read your diary_

_And it said_

I heard people gasp at my voice, and I had to keep myself from smirking. After all, stage presence was a lot. It showed people it came from the heart. And, right now, I was the hurt lover.

_That you weren't in love with me_

_And you're leaving._

_And I wish I didn't see_

_That you fell in love with him, him, him._

_But I read your diary._

_I saw a book wit a lock and key right next to your name._

_I, I, I, I couldn't help myself 'cause things aint just been the same_

_Can you please tell me 'cause this sh** is so insane._

_My heart is bleeding_

_Paper cut from reading, reading_

_Page 1_

_Says that you're falling in and out of love._

_Page 2_

_Says all them things I do just aint enough._

_Page 3_

_No I couldn't see, page 3 says you don't know how to explain it to me._

_But I read your diary._

_And it said_

_That you weren't in love with me_

_And you're leaving._

_And I wish I didn't see_

_That you fell in love with him, him, him._

_But I read your diary._

_Oh, oh, oh _

_Your diary_

_Oh, oh, oh_

_I turn the page and see a picture of you and him._

_No, no, no, that was the night you told me you were out with your friends._

_And now I know my kiss was just a s, second_

_And now my heart is bleeding,_

_Paper cut from reading, reading._

_Page 4_

_Says your addicted to sexin him every night._

_Page 5 _

_Has all the reasons that you know this isn't right._

_Page 6_

_I can't handle this_

_I feel like JT on this cry me a river sh**._

'_Cause I read your diary_

_And it said_

_That you weren't in love with me_

_And you're leaving._

_And I wish I didn't see_

_That you fell in love with him, him, him._

_But I read your diary._

_Oh, oh, oh_

_Your diary._

_Oh, oh, oh_

_Let's make a list (check)_

_Of broken promises. (check)_

_How you always told me you loved me right after every kiss. (check)_

_And you always talking sh**_

_About them other chicks (check)_

_And now it's obvious we know who the real b**** is…_

_I read your diary_

_And it said_

_That you weren't in love with me_

_And you're leaving._

_And I wish I didn't see_

_That you fell in love with him, him, him._

_But I read your diary._

_Oh, oh, oh_

_Your diary._

_Oh, oh, oh_

_Your diary._

After I was done, everyone cheered, including the members of the band. Even Max clapped for me and said, "Well done." That made me happy. Maybe it was because she was the leader, but I'd wanted to make her happy and proud to have me in the band more than anyone. Maybe it was because we'd been best friends for so long, but I wanted her approval more than anyone else's. I looked at J.J. She was the only one not cheering, even her posse was cheering for me. But she was staring at me in open-mouthed shock.

I gave her a wicked grin. "It's over, J.J. I figured you out. At least now you won't have a tortured conscience when you sleep with Damon next time. I heard a bunch of people gasp, then everyone was glaring at J.J. She gave me her signature _we are _so_ talking about this later_ look. "Bye!" I shouted after her as she stomped out of the room, her posse quickly following her. But many of them turned and gave me flirty smiles, or winked. But I'd learned my lesson. I wasn't dating that kind of girl again.

We sang some more songs before calling it quits. A bunch of fans came up to us after we were done to tell us how much they loved our music, and to congratulate us on the record deal. It was good to be part of the band. It felt…right somehow. As far as my first public performance went, I'd have to say it was a pretty good night.

**AN: Alright, guys, there you have it. Now review and tell me what you like, or what you don't like, or any suggestions you have! I'd love to hear from you guys! So REVIEW! Oh, and only, like, one reviewer has given me an answer on the Niggy or Eggy situation! So review for that too please!**


	3. Problems At Home

**AN: I don't own MR, or any of the songs in this story, unless mentioned otherwise.**

(Max's POV)

"Shut up! You're not my dad!" I yelled at Jeb. My "family" had finally figured out about the record deal, and they were _pissed_. But I'd already signed the contract, so there was nothing they could do about it. Jeb and I had gotten into this huge fight. I slammed my door shut.

I angrily paced around my room, wanting to just break something so bad. I wanted to run downstairs and punch Jeb in the face. He was the one that ruined my family anyways, because my mom was stupid enough to have an affair with him. He's just a lying, dictating, (insert cussword of your choice here).

Finally, I couldn't stand it anymore. I grabbed the keys to my 2009 mustang. It was black, with red racing stripes. I jumped into the car and drove over to my dad's house. I just needed to get away. I pulled into the drive way and came right in, not even bothering to knock. I had when Mom and Dad first divorced, but it just hadn't seemed right. He was still my family. Everyone here was much more of a family to me than the others.

My dad was in the living room, which, unfortunately, the front door opened up into. He took one look at my face, and his own hardened. "What happened?" he asked. Dr. M and the kids were sitting next to him. Is it wrong that I considered her more of a mother than Mom ever was? Is it wrong that I can actually laugh and smile and carry on a normal conversation with her, something I haven't done with my mother since the divorce?

I smirked bitterly. "They found out about the record deal. Saying they were ticked off is the understatement of the year." I replied, laughing. But there wasn't any humor in it. It sounded hollow, even to my own ears. I shook my head. "Jeb and I fought, so here I am. I'm going to the music room." I said, mumbling the last part.

Dad and Dr. M nodded. They know me well enough to know that I'd just want to be alone after a fight with Jeb, or Mom. I even came over here after I fought with Lissa and Sam sometimes. Geez, I hated my step-siblings.

I sat down at the desk in the music room and grabbed a piece of paper. The lyrics to a new song just flew out onto it, as if they were righting themselves. After I was done writing it, I grabbed my electric guitar and came up with some rhythms. I was so focused with what I was doing, I didn't even notice that the others came in, including the band. My back was turned to them anyways.

(Fang's POV)

The rest of the band and I went to John's house, looking for Max. We'd already checked all of our other hangouts, and she wasn't' there.

Dr. M opened the door. "Is Max here?" I asked her politely. She nodded and let us in.

"I wouldn't go up to see her right now. She and Jeb had a fight. She's pretty ticked." John said.

"What about?" I asked.

"Margaret and Jeb found out about the record deal. They overreacted." he replied. Am I the only one that noticed his face harden and his eyes flash dangerously? Then again, Max was his first born, and they were so close to each other. I guess I'd be pretty ticked too.

"Where is she?" Blade asked.

"In the music room." Dr. M replied. He was already moving up there before any of us could say anything. We all followed him up, opening up the door to the music room. Max was sitting there, with her back turned to us. She was playing some rhythms on her electric guitar. She didn't even notice us walk in, and that's went it hit me how upset and angry she was. She was usually so attentitive.

The others looked shocked, especially Nudge, Ella, Gazzy, and Angel. Max was always the strong one. She never showed when she was put out, or how much her Mom and step-dad really ticked her off and hurt her. But I think the song she wrote was the one that surprised them the most. I know because when she started singing it, everyone's eyes grew wider, except for mine, John's, and Dr. M's.

_I'll be coming home,_

_Just to be alone._

'_Cause I know you're not there, _

_And I know that you don't care._

_I can hardly wait_

_To leave this place_

_No matter how hard I try,_

_You're never satisfied._

_This is not a home._

_I think I'm better off alone._

_You always disappear,_

_Even when you're here._

_This is not my home._

_I think I'm better off alone._

_Home, home._

_This house is not a_

_Home, home._

_This house is not a home._

_By the time you come home_

_I'm already stoned. _**(AN: I just want to point out that, no, Max does not do drugs in this story. It's just part of the song. Thank you.)**

_You turn off the TV_

_And you scream at me._

_I can hardly wait_

'_Till you get off my case._

_No matter how hard I try,_

_You're never satisfied._

_This is not a home._

_I think I'm better off alone._

_You always disappear,_

_Even when you're here._

_This is not my home._

_I think I'm better off alone._

_Home, home._

_This house is not a_

_Home, home._

_This house is not a_

_Home, home._

_This house is not a_

_Home, home._

_This house is not a_

_Home, home._

_This house is not a home._

_I'm better off alone._

_No matter how hard I try,_

_You're never satisfied._

_This is not a home._

_I think I'm better off alone._

_You always disappear,_

_Even when you're here._

_This is not my home._

_I think I'm better off alone._

_Home, home._

_This house is not a_

_Home, home._

_This house is not a _

_Home, home._

_This house is not a_

_Home, home._

_This house is not a home._

When she finished, I motioned for the others to go outside. They did, but they left the door cracked open. Little eavesdroppers.

"Well…" I said, and Max jumped and spun around to face me. She relaxed slightly when she saw it was me, but still glared at me for listening. I sat down next to her. "That's a lot of emotion from the infamous Maximum Ride. And here I thought you were my fellow Emotionless Wall." I said, pretending to sigh dramatically.

She rolled her eyes and playfully punched me on the arm, a small smile on her face. "Yeah. It's just…they always try to hold me back, and then they pretend that it's because they want to protect me. Like they actually care about their kids. Both of their other children are sluts and I'm never home. It just ticks me off when they try to act like they own me. Like I'm their little slave who can't do anything unless they approve of it beforehand." she said, getting angrier and angrier as she continued.

I sighed. "You know, they had to figure it out eventually." I told her.

"Yeah, but I was hoping I'd be on tour or something by then. They usually don't pay so close attention, so I wouldn't have been surprised." she said. "I know putting it off ticked them off even more, but how was I supposed to tell them? 'Oh, hey Mom, hey Jeb. Guess what I did today? I went out and signed a recording contract behind your back! Isn't that great?' Yeah, that would go off real well."

I sighed. Then a thought struck me. "Did Jeb hit you?" I asked. I remembered the one time when she came running over to my house after it had happened. Jeb had beaten her, and she made me swear not to tell anyone. Of course, I forgot about the others outside, so when I heard the almost silent gasp that came from one of the others, I knew we were in trouble.

Thankfully, my question had distracted Max. She scowled. "He slapped me, and I punched him in the face for it. I swear, you think eventually the guy would take a hint. He hurts me, and I hurt him tenfold." she said, crossing her arms.

I sighed. "You should tell your dad. Max, you can't just let Jeb do that. It's child abuse! What if he takes it too far?"

"I can take care of myself." Max said stubbornly.

"Max–"

"No, Fang. My dad has enough to worry about. I can take care of myself. Besides, I was ten when Jeb beat me. Not much I could do to defend myself. Now, I could kick his butt from one side of this town to the other and back." Max said, firmly. She wasn't really being stubborn. She looked very solemn. Like she wasn't arguing just for the sake of arguing, like she usually did when we fought about Jeb.

"Well, what are you going to do?" I asked her.

She shrugged. "I already signed the contract. It's not like they can make me quit."

"But they can make your life miserable."

She smirked bitterly. "They already do." She had an undertone in her voice that told me she was done with the conversation.

"Alright, fine, fine. I won't say anything to your dad. But, Max, can you promise me something?" I asked her.

She looked at me suspiciously. "Depends on the promise." she replied. Having me and Iggy as friends, and Gazzy as a brother, had made her slightly paranoid. I mean, Nudge, Angel, and Ella pulled pranks too, but not nearly as much as the four of us did.

"Promise me that, if you won't tell your dad, at least tell me when you need help. I mean, I have a pretty sweet life. There's not really much I can worry about." I told her.

Max seemed to think it over. I could tell she was about to say no. I scooted closer to her and looked her right in the face, to show her how serious I was. "Promise me." I said.

I don't know if it was something in my voice, or in my eyes, or what, but, finally, she said, "Alright, fine. I promise that I'll come get you if I need help, alright?"

"With anything?" I asked.

She sighed, obviously annoyed. "Yeah, yeah. I'll come to you if I need any help at all, with any problem. Are we good?" she asked.

I nodded. "And that includes family issues. I want you to be able to talk to me, understand? You shouldn't have to bottle up all this crap." I told her sternly. "You shouldn't have to deal with that. You're a sixteen year old girl."

She sighed. "You're telling me." she murmured, but I don't think I was supposed to hear that.

"Come on. The others are worried about you. Besides, I'm shocked you haven't started bugging Dr. M for cookies yet." I said in mock-shock.

She rolled her eyes. "You know, chocolate chip cookies aren't' the only thing I think about. It's just what I mostly think about."

"That's what I thought." I told her smirking. Good old Max. No matter what happens, some things never change.

**AN: Hope you guys liked the chapter. Review and tell me! Please!**


	4. First Recording And Outback Steakhouse

**AN: Ello, peoples! What's up? Still in Orlando, and my feet hurt! Which kind of sucks, but oh well.**

**Warning: This chapter has a lot of songs. Disclaimer: I don't own MR. JP does. I also own no rights to any of the songs used in this chapter. Thank you. Oh, and to answer Catlin42's question, the song that Fang sung in chapter two is "Diary" by Tino Coury.**

(Fang's POV)

We were all pretty excited. We were in the recording studio. Everyone was wearing red and black again, and we were all goofing around. It was our first day of recording, and we were all psyched. Max and Dad were in his office, discussing which songs we should record today, and what songs we'd tackle later.

The doors burst open and Max and my dad stepped through. "Alright guys! Let's get this show on the road!" Max said, grinning at us. She was just as psyched as we were about the whole thing. We all walked into the recording room. Max and instantly grabbed the electric guitars. Blade grabbed the base, Abby sat at the drums, and Jake went to the keyboard, and Mikey and Zack were with Dad behind that big sheet of glass. We all had to put headsets on. Dad pushed a button and asked, "Are you guys ready?"

Max held up one finger. "Uno momento, por favor." she replied. Why the Spanish? You got me.

Dad rolled his eyes. But Max did have a good reason. She was tuning her instrument. Everyone else followed her example. She even made all of us play once for her to make sure that it sounded good. "Alright guys, Leave Out All The Rest and then New Divide, got it?" Max said. When we nodded she gave a thumbs up to Dad. "We're good." **(AN: Okay, I know these songs are usually sung by a guy, but in this story Max is singing it because I think that they would relate more to her life than Fang's. But that's just my opinion.)**

Jake started us off, and then Iggy came in. As Max started singing, the rest of us started playing. It was all very soft and relaxed.

_I dreamed I was missing,_

_You were so scared._

_But no one would listen_

'_Cause no one else cared._

_After my dreaming,_

_I woke with this fear._

_What am I leaving_

_When I'm done here?_

_So if you're asking me I want you to know…_

Both the music and Max's singing suddenly got louder and more powerful.

_When my time comes_

_Forget the wrong that I've done._

_Help me leave behind some_

_Reasons to be missed._

_Don't resent me,_

_And when you're feeling empty_

_Keep me in your memory._

_Leave out all the rest._

_Leave out all the rest._

We softened down again. Everyone was so into the song, that we didn't notice when both Max's and my families packed into the recording studio with Dad, Mikey, and Zack. Even Max's mom, step-dad, and Sam and Lissa came. I noticed that Jeb had a black eye, and was looking fearfully at Max's dad. Dang, that was going to get me into trouble later.

_Don't be afraid_

_I've taken my beating,_

_I've shared what I made._

_I'm strong on the surface,_

_Not all the way through._

_I've never been perfect,_

_But neither have you._

_So if you're asking me, I want you to know…_

Again, we got louder and stronger.

_When my time comes_

_Forget the wrong that I've done._

_Help me leave behind some_

_Reasons to be missed._

_Don't resent me,_

_And when you're feeling empty_

_Keep me in your memory._

_Leave out all the rest._

_Leave out all the rest._

_Forgetting all the hurt inside_

_You've learned to hide so well._

_Pretending someone else can come_

_And save me from myself._

_I can't be who you are._

_When my time comes_

_Forget the wrong that I've done._

_Help me leave behind some_

_Reasons to be missed._

_Don't resent me,_

_And when you're feeling empty_

_Keep me in your memory._

_Leave out all the rest._

_Leave out all the rest._

Max's voice got softer yet again. She was singing with so much feeling, it was amazing.

_Forgetting all the hurt inside_

_You've learned to hide so well._

_Pretending someone else can come _

_And save me from myself._

_I can't be who you are. _

_I can't be who you are._

Max and Jake ended together, just kind of fading out.

"That was brilliant guys!" my dad exclaimed. When the others heard all of the cheers, they finally noticed that everyone else was here. The only ones who weren't cheering were Max's mom, step-dad, and Sam and Lissa.

Max took one look at Jeb's face and her dad, then looked at me. She shot me a look that I could easily read. _Did you tell him?_ I frowned and shook my head so slightly, no one else would have noticed. _No, I'm not sure how he knows._ Which isn't totally true because I knew he was listening in on our conversation. She nodded slightly. _Okay._

"New Divide, guys." she said, nodding at Dad. The song started with her playing a solo for a while, then the rest of us came in. She stopped playing once she started singing, but came back in at the chorus.

_I remembered black skies,_

_The lightning all around me._

_I remembered each flash,_

_As time began to blur._

_Like a startling sign,_

_That fate had finally found me._

_And your voice was all I heard,_

_That I get what I deserve._

_So give me reason_

_To prove me wrong,_

_To wash this memory clean._

_Let the Floods cross_

_The distance in your eyes._

_Give me reason_

_To fill this hole,_

_Connect the space between._

_Let it fill up to reach the truth and lies_

_Across this new divide._

_There was nothing inside,_

_The memories left abandoned._

_There was nowhere to hide,_

_The ashes fell like snow._

_And the ground caved in,_

_Between where we were standing._

_And your voice was all I heard,_

_That I get what I deserve._

_So give me reason_

_To prove me wrong,_

_To wash this memory clean._

_Let the Floods cross_

_The distance in your eyes._

_Across this new divide._

_And every loss and every lie, _

_And every truth that you deny,_

_And each regret and each goodbye_

_Was a mistake too great to hide._

_And your voice was all I heard,_

_But I get what I deserve._

_So give me reason_

_To prove me wrong,_

_To wash this memory clean._

_Let the Floods cross_

_The distance in your eyes._

_Give me reason_

_To fill this hole,_

_Connect the space between._

_Let it fill up to reach the truth and lies_

_Across this new divide._

_Across this new divide._

_Across this new divide._

Again with the cheers. Max was smirking her _we kicked ass and I know it_ smirk. "You're turn. I was thinking Love Drunk and maybe Break Your Little Heart." Max said, turning to me and raising an eyebrow.

I nodded. "Cool."

We all started playing, but you could hear Max the most. Being the better guitarist, she always played the lead parts. Then I started singing.

_Top down in the summer sun._

_The day we met was like a hit and run,_

_And I still taste it on my tongue. (Taste it on my tongue.) _Blade did the echoes.

_The sky was burning up like fireworks._

_You made me want you oh so bad, it hurt,_

_But girl, in case you haven't heard…_

I started singing louder, and the others joined me. Max even started jumping a little.

_I used to be love drunk,_

_But now I'm hungover._

_Love you forever._

_Forever is over.  
We used to kiss all night,_

_Now it's just a bar fight._

_So don't call me cryin'_

_Say hello to goodbye. (Oh yeah!) _

'_Cause just one slip, (Oh yeah!)_

_Would make me sick._

_I used to be love drunk,_

_But now I'm hungover._

_Love you forever,_

_But now it's over. (Hey!)_

_Hot sweat and blurry eyes._

_We're spinning round a roller coaster ride._

_The world, stuck in black and white. (Stuck in black and white.)_

_You drove me crazy every time we touched._

_Now I'm so broken that I can't get up._

_Oh girl, you make me such a lush._

_I used to be love drunk,_

_But now I'm hungover._

_Love you forever._

_Forever is over.  
We used to kiss all night,_

_Now it's just a bar fight._

_So don't call me cryin'_

_Say hello to goodbye. (Oh yeah!) _

'_Cause just one slip, (Oh yeah!)_

_Would make me sick._

_I used to be love drunk,_

_But now I'm hungover._

_Love you forever,_

_But now it's over. (Hey!)_

_All the time I wasted on you._

_All the bull shit you put me through. _Yeah, Mom didn't like that line.

_I'm checking into rehab,_

'_Cause everything that we had_

_Didn't mean a thing to you._

Then my voice got a more electronic sound to it.

_I used to be love drunk,_

_But now I'm hungover._

_Love you forever,_

_But now I'm sober._

Then it flipped back to normal. And Max was jumping again. Even I started jumping up and down with her.

_I used to be love drunk,_

_But now I'm hungover._

_Love you forever._

_Forever is over.  
We used to kiss all night,_

_Now it's just a bar fight._

_So don't call me cryin'_

_Say hello to goodbye. (Oh yeah!) _

'_Cause just one slip, (Oh yeah!)_

_Would make me sick._

_I used to be love drunk,_

_But now I'm hungover._

_Love you forever,_

_But now it's over. (Hey!)_

_Na na na na na (repeat)_

_Now it's over._

_Still taste it on my tongue._

_Now it's over._

Again there were the cheers. "Dude, that was awesome!" Zack exclaimed, punching the air.

Max grinned at me, leaning against the wall some. "Not bad, rookie. We might make a rock star out of you yet." she said jokingly.

I grinned back at her. "Who knows? Maybe one day I'll be better than you."

Max chuckled. "Let's not get crazy now." she said, rolling her eyes. "Alright guys, calm down! We still got another song to sing!" The band immediately shut up. Max had a good set of lungs, perfect for yelling at us with.

"One more, then we're done for today." Dad added. Max nodded and signaled for him to start. All of us started playing, then I came in.

_Wide awake,_

_My mistake,_

_So predictable._

_You were fake,_

_I was great_

_Nothing personal._

_I'm walking, who's laughing now?_

_(Who's laughing, who's laughing now.)_

_I'm wasted, wasting time._

_You talk for hours but you're wasting lines._

_Pretty face_

_But the chase _

_Aint worth the prize._

The others joined me at the chorus, and Max and I both started jumping at the same time, really getting into it.

_I'm gonna break your little heart._

_Watch you take the fall,_

_Laughing all the way to the hospital._

'_Cause there's nothing surgery can do_

_When I break your little heart in two._

_Party queen,_

_Cause a scene,_

_So ridiculous. _

_Little dress,_

_Maybe less,_

_So conspicuous._

_You're falling, who's crashing now?_

_(Who's crashing, who's crashing now?)_

_I'm wasted, wasting time._

_I'm moving on, but your left behind._

_Pretty face,_

_But the chase_

_Aint worth the prize._

_I'm gonna break your little heart._

_Watch you take the fall,_

_Laughing all the way to the hospital._

'_Casue there's nothing surgery can do… (Oh, oh, oh, oh)_

_I'm gonna break your little heart._

_Show you to the door._

_Sew yourself shut_

_And now you're begging for more. _

'_Cause there's nothing surgery can do_

_When I break your little heart in two._

_Don't be so sentimental, no_

_This love was accidental, so_

_Give it up, this was never meant to be_

_More than a memory for you._

Here, the singing stopped for a few seconds and me and Max did this little guitar duet thing. It actually sounded really cool. It was Max's idea when she was helping me write the song.

_I'm gonna break your little heart._

_Watch you take the fall,_

_Laughing all the way to the hospital._

'_Cause there's nothing surgery can do… (Oh, oh, oh, oh)_

_I'm gonna break your little heart._

_Show you to the door,_

_Sew yourself shut,_

_And now you're begging for more. (Don't be so sentimental.)_

'_Cause there's nothing surgery can do_

_When I break your little heart in two._

This time, we all went out into the recording studio when we were done. "So?" Max asked dad. "What'd you think?" She smirked at him.

He shook his head. "I think you're too cocky." he said. Max frowned when he paused it, and then he grinned. "And I love it. Great work today guys. We'll turn you into rock stars yet!"

The rest of the band cheered, while me and Max just grinned like idiots and high fived each other. "How can you actually enjoy that?" Lissa asked Max, rolling her eyes and flipping her hair over her shoulder. "You all looked like a bunch of idiots."

I could see the rest of the band members getting defensive, but Max just grinned. "You're right, we did look like a bunch of idiots. But we had a hellva time doing it." she replied, brushing past her sister. the rest of us followed close behind. "Alright guys, let's go out to dinner, on me." she said, still grinning. It was like nothing could ruin her good mood.

Of course we all agreed. I mean, come on, free food. My family went with us, and so did John, Dr. M, Ella, Nudge, Gazzy, and Angel. The rest of Max's family went home though. When I asked her about it, she just shrugged and said, "They would've been sticks in the mud anyways." On the outside, it didn't look like it bothered her, but I knew it did. Not Jeb, Lissa, or Sam, she couldn't give less of a crap about them, and I don't blame her. But her mom wasn't always a bad mom. She's just been a bad mom since she married that loser.

But that's just how Max is. She hates emotions, and she doesn't want people to worry about her. So she puts on a happy face and acts like it doesn't get to her.

Max ended up giving Angel a piggy back ride, and somehow managed to convince me to give Gazzy one. Damn Bambi Eyes. Max doesn't use them often, but when she does, they're almost as lethal as Nudge, Ella, or Angel's. Max was jogging ahead of us, Angel on her back. Occasionally she'd turn and say, "Hurry up you slow pokes! I'm hungry!" before turning right back around.

We ended up going to Outback Steakhouse. "You know, people are staring at us." I said as we walked in, Angel and Gazzy still on our backs.

Max stared back. Finally one guy asked her, "What are you staring at?"

"You stare at me because I'm different. I stare at you because your all the same." she replied. She'd been smirking as she said it, but afterwards she got this weirded-out look on her face and slowly backed away from the guy. The others burst out laughing. "I should really consider stand up." she joked.

Angel giggled. "You'd be good at it." she replied. Max looked over her shoulder at her and grinned.

I sighed. "You know, I used to be normal until I met the freaks I call friends." I told my parents, only half joking.

Mom pretended to think about it, then shook her head. "No, I'm pretty sure you were always strange."

Iggy laughed at this. "At least I didn't grow up with dreams of marrying our kitchen." I said, looking pointedly in his direction.

"Hey!" Iggy protested.

"I mean, truthfully," I continued, ignoring Iggy's protest, "out of the two of us, which one is more normal?"

"Oh, you, definitely." Max said, instantly speaking up.

"No way! Iggy. I mean, at least he actually wears colors!" Nudge argued.

Max raised an eyebrow at her. "Yeah, he also makes bombs and picks locks. You call that normal?"

"You pick locks." Nudge pointed out.

Max shrugged. "I never claimed to be normal."

"Yeah, she suffers from insanity." Gazzy said.

"Hey! That is so not true!" Max protested. "I don't suffer from insanity. I enjoy every minute of it, thank you very much!" She was barely able to make a straight face as she said it, and the rest of us laughed.

"You're all insane." John said, shaking his head.

"Why thanks, Dad. I love you too." Ella said sarcastically.

John looked at her in surprise, then he looked at Max accusingly. "You're rubbing off on her. She used to be my sweet little girl. Are you a bad influence on everyone?" he joked.

Max thought about that for about…two seconds. "Yep." she replied, popping the "p".

"So _that's_ why I grew up so corrupted." I murmured. Max playfully punched me in the arm. We ended up wreaking so much havoc, that they seated us early, just to get us out of the waiting room. Which was fine…until Gazzy and Iggy started a food fight just as we were finishing. With other people's food.

And that was the time we got banned from the Outback Steakhouse. Sigh.

**AN: Sorry if it's not very good. Review, and tell me what I need to improve on. I'm trying to make this story a little different. Review! **


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey guys. I'm sorry that I haven't updated in a while, but I've been grounded for a long time. I can barely give you guys this. I'm sooooooo sorry and please forgive me. I swear I will update as soon as I can, but it's going to be hard. I'm really sorry that I can't update and be patient with me. There's only so much I can do, because I'm really stressed right now. **

**Your really apologetic author,**

**Wolflover777**


End file.
